Container cover remover



w. N. LURCOTT 2,053,246

CONTAINER COVER REMOVER Filed April 5, 1954 T .15 E a /2 I INVENTOR Wflfred Alla/00% Patented Sept. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT o F cE 1 Claim.

Among the principal objects which the present invention has in View are: To provide a utensil to facilitate the removing of caps or covers from bottles or similar containers; to increase the range of usefulness of the utensil; and to adapt the device for employment on various kinds of utensil caps or covers.

Drawing Figure 1 is a face view of a utensil of the character mentioned constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross section of the same, the section being taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross section of the utensil, the section being taken on the line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a modified view of the invention.

Figure 5 is a cross section of the modified form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a cross section of the construction shown in Figure 5, the section being taken on the line 6-6 in Figure 5. a

Description The utensil herein described is principally intended for removing the caps or covers of such containers as have packed or conveyed therein food-stuffs, commodities of personal character, and other material such as the paints used by artists when held in tubes. Provision is also made in the utensil herein described for prying from the containers, covers held thereon by friction.

As seen by reference to the drawing, the larger type of the utensil such as is employed in a domestic kitchen, has a two-fold runway or guide as indicated by the arrows A and B, the former being adapted to guide containers having fullsized or enlarged caps, and the latteradapted to guide smaller articles having small caps. The guiding members relied upon are the walls I I and I2. Both of these walls operate in combination with the knurled stud I3 which is riveted to the bottom of the utensil I I, as shown best in Figure 3 of the drawing. To this end the stud I3 has a reduced nipple I5 which may be headed or riveted firmly in position.

The burrs on the stud I3 are sharp to engage the side edge of the covers when the covers are jammed between the walls I I and I 2 of the utensil and the stud. To best accomplish this, the article is introduced on either of the two-fold runways in accordance with the size of the container by sliding against the walls II and I2 until the cap engages the stud I3. Th cap of the container is now firmly jammed between the stud I3 and one of the walls II or I2. The pressure of the jam is such as to sink the burr of the stud into the material, or metal, with sufficient force to hold the same against the further strain exerted by the hands of the user when turning the article.

It will now be found that through the cap was sufiiciently tight to resist being removed by the unassisted hands of the operator, the cap yields easily when held in the grip between the stud I3 and either of the walls II or I2.

The utensil is designed for mounting on some convenient shelf in the usual kitchen or pantry and to the underside thereof. To this end the utensil is provided with screw holes I6. When held in position, the container such as cans or 15 cylindrical boxes, may be lifted against the utensil and carried into engagement with the knurled stud I3. The position also affords advantage for disposing the friction-held-caps such as the usual crown cap used on bottles, the edge of which fits below the ofiset H at the back of the utensil and at the rear of the opening I8 provided for the introduction of such containers and covers therefor.

It will be noted that the opening I8 is sufiiciently elongated to accommodate the usual covers for food containers.

The diminished form of the invention shown in Figure 4 of the drawing is especially designed for mounting on the palette used by artists for holding and mixing the paints employed by them. The construction is much the same as shown in the larger form of the invention disclosed in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, the center or smaller portion thereof, being in design, extracted 35 therefrom to provide a body portion I 9 to support the knurled stud 20 and/or fiange or side wall 2I to guide the cap which it is desired to loosen or remove into engagement with the stud 20.

To mount the device on the palette, it is pro- 4 vided with screw holes 22. This device is mounted on the palette in position adjacent the thumb hole of the palette, making it thereby convenient for the artist when lifting the paint tube into working position and also to avoid any twisting 45 strain which might otherwise be exerted thereon.

In Figures 5 and 6, a modified form of the invention is shown wherein the curved walls I I, I2 and 2| are substituted by the straight walls 23 and 24, and in lieu or substitution of the stud 20, 50 the edges 25 and 2B of the body and the side walls 23 and 21, are provided.

It will be noted that the walls 23, 21, 24 and 25 are converged or drawn to a narrow end whereby the articles contained between the walls 23 55 and 21 or 24 and 25 are forced into engagement with the serrated edges 26 or 25 respectively to be held thereby while the container is twisted to loosen the cap with which it is provided.

It is evident that if the device were made with the runways I l and I2 disposed in the opposite direction with respect to knurled stud l 3, the utensil would then become adapted to tighten screw caps.

I claim:

A container cover remover comprising a body portion having an upstanding curved guiding flange and a serrated vertically disposed stud rigidly mounted on said body portion adjacent one end of said flange.

WINFRED N. LURCOTT. 

